Apparatus for cleansing floors and like surfaces



L. J. SIMON 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEAN SING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Nov. 8, 1938.

Filed Sept. 5, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 MINI-1m III INVENTOR LOUIS JOHNSIMON BY WHMV ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 71938. L. J. SIMON 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 5, 1935 5Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LOUIS JOHN SIMON ATTORNEYS Nov. s, 1938. L. J.SIMON S 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 5Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS I I I INVEHTOR;

L. J. SIMON Nov. 8, 1938 APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKESURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 5 hee sSheet.4

INVENTOH LOU IS JOHN SIMON ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 1938. LIJ. SIMON 2APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 sSheets- Sheet 5 I l E I l I i 98 E...

INVENTOR LOU IS JOHN S IMON By ait mom,

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES ziisaazi/ APPARATUS FORCLEANSING FLOORS Anon LIKE-SURFACES.

Louis John Simon, Barking, Engiana Application September 3, 1-935,Serial-No. 39,001 3 In Great Britain September 5, 1934 V 3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for cleansing floors and likesurfaces and has for its object to provide an improved construction andarrangement designed to clean a floor or like surface with the aid of acleaningliquid and to remove the liquid afteruse and so leave the floorpractically dry.

According to the invention means are provided for removing the liquidfrom the fioor comprising an absorbent'wiper or a plurality of absorbentwipers in the form of a flap or flaps attached at one edge to meansadapted to drag the said wiper or'wipers continuously or successivelyover the surface to be treated.

The absorbent wipers may work in conjunction with a scrubbing devicecomprising rotating, re-

volving or reciprocating brushes, means being provided for maintainingabody of cleaning liquid in contact with said scrubbing device until theliquid is picked up by the wipers.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein severalexamples of construction and application of the invention areillustrated, and in which:-

:25 Figure l is a plan view partly in section of a floor Washingapparatus with a flat brush carried on a vertical spindle and withWipers mounted on rotary discs,

A-B of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus showing handleand tanks,

Figure 4 is a front elevation with sectional view of tanks showingliquid control, 35 Figure 5 is a plan view of the brush,

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the brush attachment,

Figure '7 is a plan view of Fig. 6,

Figure 8 is a plan view of a modified apparatus with four flat brushescarried on vertical spindles and with wipers carried on endless chains,

Figure 9' is a sectional elevation of Fig. 8,

Figure 10 is an elevation of an apparatus as in Fig. 8 showing tanks,wheels and handles.

Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of an arrangement whereintwo'revolving brushes on horizontal axes are used,

Figure 12 is a front elevation of Fig; 11',

Figure 13 is a sectional elevation of an arrangement having asingle'revolving brushmade up of separate sections,

Figure 14 is a front sectional elevation on the line AB of Fig. 13,

Figure 15 is a plan view of apronged wiper carrying bar,

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line Figure 16 is a sectionalView of Fig. 15 and r Figure l7 is a plan view of a furthermodiflcw,tion embodying an additional .brush movable round the axis of the-mainbrush. In the construction illustrated in Figures 1-7 65 the main frameofhtheapparatusiis indicated at l and comprises a box-like structuremounted to run upon a pair of -Wheels 55. Mounted near the top of theframe is an electric motor 3 which, through worm gearing disposed withina housing an 4, drive's-a vertical spindle fi, the lower end of thisspindle driving a horizontal shaft 9 through worm: gearing disposedwithin a housing 5. One end ofthe sha'ft 'il is iotsquare section andextends beyond thehousing i, 'a'worm' gearJIO being 16 'slidably'mounted on'ithis squared end and being adapted to drive abrushrs'pindlel through a worm wheel llcontained within a housing 8.The-base of the housing B is'p'rovided with chamfered projectingedgeswhichslide in corre- (g spondingly chamfered guides l2 fixe'd'to thebase plate 20f the frame. Pivoted' at to the undersi'de'of th' baseplate 2 -isialever'4l, the forked end of which" engages the brushspindle 1 for the purpose of sliding the housing 8 and theq'brushlaterally in the frame." e The-lower endof the spindle" I isball-shaped and. engages in: a" socketformed in a hushed plate ltthe endof the spindle being retained therein by springsv i6 fixed to the'plateland by .a pin 15 which-extends through the' ball end of the spindle andengages at its ends in slots formed in therbushedplate. Theplate'ld'ismounted ina recess in the upper side of the brush body I3,the space between the; top of the plate [4 and the top of the brush bodyservingas a reservoir for the cleaning liquidwhich is fed to thebristles through holes:

Mounted between the rearportions of the fram i is a hollow shaft 21*,theends ofgwhich are solid :4 and of square'sectionand'are retained incorrespondingly formed holes in the frame by screws 28. Rotatablymounted upon the shaft 21 is a pair of discs 22, 22a, connectedtogether-by rods I 23. A sprocket 20 is fixed to the disc 22 and isdriven from a sprocket IS on the shaft 9 by a chain 2|. 'Between thediscs 22, 22a and near the peripheries thereof are disposed a number pof wipers 25, preferably formed of several layers of absorbent material,these wipers being carried on bars 24 pivoted at their ends in ho-lesinthe discs andretained therein by springs 26. 7

Fixed to the hollow shaft 21 is a funnel 3|, the bottom of which opensinto the shaft and also a pair of side. plates 29 carrying angle members32 upon which slides a small collecting tank 33 opening at the bottominto the funnel 3|. Mounted at the top of the tank 33 is a squeegeeroller 34 which co-operates with a second roller 34a mounted on theframe, the latter roller being urged into contact with the roller 34 bysprings 56. A rubber squeegee strip 31 is fixed in the frame adjacentthe roller 34a and contacts with a bar 36 fixed to the top of the tank33. A roller 35 is mounted at the rear of the frame and is urged bysprings into contact with a plate 38 connecting the two side plates 29.

A handle 53 is attached to a fork 52 pivoted to the frame and carriestwo tanks48, 49, serving as containers for clean and dirty liquidrespectively. The clean liquid is conveyed to the reservoir in the-brushby a pipe 40, the flow being controlled by a valve 58 operated by alever 5|.

Mounted on the base plate 2 of the frame I is a pump H which. is drivenby a belt l8 from the motor 3. An outlet tube 38 is provided at one endof the hollow shaft 21 and is connected to the inlet side of the pump,the outlet side of said pump being connected by a pipe 38a to the tank49. The tanks 48, 49 are provided with caps 54, 54a for filling andemptying purposes respectively.

A squeegee strip 4| is mounted at an angle on the underside of the frameand projects beyond the edge thereof.

The apparatus functions in the following manner:-

The tank 48 having been filled with clean or soapy water, the valve 50is opened through lever 5| to allow liquid to fiow to the brush and themotor current is switched on causing the motor to rotate the brushthrough the shafts 6 and 1 and the associated worm gearing. The discs22, 22a are also rotated through chain 2|, resulting in the wipers 25being continuously dragged over the floor, these wipers being of suchconstruction that when damp they have a suction and clinging effectwhich, in addition to picking up the dirty liquid from the floor, leavethe floor practically dry.

The apparatus is now moved along the floor on wheels 55 by pushinghandle 53, the wheels 55 preventing the discs 22 and 22a making contactwith the floor. The rotating brush I3, which is under pressure and incontact with the floor, scrubs the floor as it passes over it, and theforward movement of the apparatus leaves the dirty liquid behind, whenit is immediately picked up by the wipers 25.

The saturated wipers 25 now travel upwards as the result of the rotationof discs 22 and 22a and pass under the squeegee 31 which relieves thesurface of the wipers 25 of any solids they may have picked up, thewipers 25 then passing through the squeegee rollers 34 and 34a wherethey are relieved of the liquid they have picked up from the floor, suchliquid flowing into the collecting tank 33 and then through funnel 3| tothe hollow shaft 21 and through pipe 38 to pump I! which, finally,delivers this dirty liquor through pipe 38a to tank 49.

After passing through squeegee rollers 34 and 34a, the wipers 25 passthrough and between roller 35 and plate 38 which ensures them fallingflat on to the fioor.

When it is desired to clean the floor close to the skirting or wall,forked lever 41 is pushed sideways resulting in the brush |3 being movedsufficiently to one side to enable the splayed edge of brush I3 toextend beyond the side of the apparatus to reach the corner where thewall joins the floor. The squeegee 4| which is then in contact with thewall and the floor leads the dirty liquid back to be picked up by wipers25.

The formation of the bristles of the brush |3 (Fig. 5) is such that ithas the effect of partly keeping the liquid between the bristles andcentre of brush, enabling the brush to run in a body of water.

Figs. 8, 9 and of the drawings show a modified form of apparatus inwhich there is provided four fiat rotating brushes carried on verticalspindles and wherein the wipers are carried on endless chains. The fourbrushes 42 mesh at their edges and are rotated in the direction of thearrows by a motor 43 through chains 44 and worm gearing 51, 58. Mountedat the rear of the frame are four transverse shafts 8| carryingsprockets 82 around which run two endless chains 83, the chains beingdriven from the motor 43 through a chain 59 and an additional sprocket45 mounted on one of the shafts 8|. Between the two endless chains thereis disposed a series of wipers 85, the said wipers being attached tobars 84, the ends of which are pronged as shown in Figs. and 16 and formthe pins of the chains 83 at the points where the wiper bars arecarried. The bars 84 are slotted near the prongs and bent outward asshown in Fig. 16 to ensure that the wipers 85 lay flat when the wipers85 approach the fioor.

A tank 88 for the reception of dirty liquid is mounted between the wipercarrying chains upon a pair of horizontal slides 88a and is adapted tobe removed through a hole in the side of the frame for emptying andcleaning purposes. A pair of squeegee rollers 81, 81a are mounted nearthe top of the tank 88 and function in a similar manner to the rollers34, 34a of the construction previously described. A brush 86 is alsoprovided to-clean the surface of the wipers before they pass between thesqueegee rollers. A plate 30' and roller 35 are provided which functionin a manner similar to the plate 38 and roller 35 in the constructionpreviously described.

Clean liquid is supplied from a tank 99 through a flexible pipe 9| tothe space between the four brushes, the tank normally resting upon thetop of the frame and being connected to the handle 92 by a pivoted link92a so that it can be moved rearwardly when desired by lowering thehandle.

The apparatus functions similarly to the construction previouslydescribed, the clean water being fed to the brushes and being partlyretained in the space between the brushes during the scrubbingoperation, after which it is picked up by the wipers when the apparatusmoves forward. and is transferred to the tank 90.

The normal position of the tank 98 is partly over the apparatus as shownin Fig. 10, but when it is desired to clean under furniture or the likethen handle 92 is lowered having the effect of drawing tank 98backwards, permitting the apparatus to go under and into a confined orrestricted space.

Figures 11 and 12 show a further embodiment in which there is providedtwo revolving brushes 68, 88a mounted on horizontal spindles 61, 61arespectively. The brushes are rotated by an electric motor 93 throughworm gearing 6|, 62, a pair of gear wheels 63, 64 carried oncountershafts, and a pair of gear wheels 65, B6, fixed on the brushspindles. The brushes which are each composed of a series of narrowbrushes placed side by side are provided with internal slots 69 and areadapted to slide over cross bars 68 fixed on the brush spindles, springs10 being interposed between the cross bars and the walls of the slots 68to enable the brushes to float independently and allow for inequality offloor level.

Clean liquid flows from a tank (not shown) through a pipe H to aperforated distributing pipe 12 which feeds the liquid to the front ofbrush 60a. This, brush carries the liquid to the space between brushes60 and 60a which revolve in opposite directions and so maintain a levelof liquid between the two brushes, a pair of side squeegees l3 and 13abeing provided to prevent the liquid from flowing sideways.

These side squeegees are preferably made of folded rubber so as toenable them to make up irregularities in the floor.

The dirty liquid flows to the rear of the brush 60 in the spaces betweenthe brush 60 and the squeegees 13 and 13a, where it is picked up bywipers (not shown) in the manner already described.

In Figs. 13 and 14 is shown a further embodiment of the invention havinga single horizontal spindle brush '!5 adapted to be rotated andoscillated in a maintained body of water by a motor 14 driving saidbrush 15 through a worm 94, Worm wheel 95 and gear wheels 96 and 91.

The gear wheel 91 is attached to a square shaft 16 on which slidesfreely the brush 15, a spring 11 being mounted in a slot at the end ofthe brush to urge the brush away from the gear wheel. A cam 18 is fixedto the opposite end of the brush and co-operateswith a cam 19 fixed toframe 98, whereby when the brush resolves it continuously slidesbackwards and forwards along square shaft 16 resulting in brush 15having both a rotating and reciprocating action.

Attached to the frame 98 and in front of brush 15 is a squeegee strip 80and at each side of brush I5 is also attached to frame 98 squeegeestrips 80a and 80b, the three squeegees 80, 80a and 80b forming a pocketfor liquid in which brush '5 runs.

Liquid is fed through a distributing pipe 99 from a tank (not shown) tothe front of brush 15 which revolves towards squeegee 80 resulting in alevel of liquid being maintained whilst the side squeegees 80a and 80bprevent the liquid flowing sideways.

The dirty liquid flows to the rear in the spaces between the brush 15and squeegees 80a and 80b where it is picked up in the manner alreadydescribed by wipers (not shown).

Figure .17 shows an alternative arrangement whereby corners between thewall and floor may be scrubbed by an additional brush I04 driven by agear wheel I00 attached to the spindle of brush I03 through gear wheelsllll and I02. The brush I04 and gear wheels l0! and H12 are carried onan arm ")5 and normally occupy a position in front of the brush I03.When it is desired to cleanthe corner between wall and floor the brush I04 is moved to the outside position as shown in full lines in Figure 17.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces comprising a frame,an operating motor carried by said frame, a plurality of absorbentwiping flaps freely flexible throughout their areas, mobile meansmounted in said frame and connected to said motor for operation therebyand comprising laterally spaced side members providing an open spacebetween them and having means for attaching said flaps thereto by theirforward edges to swing freely in said open space and expose both oftheir surfaces, said mobile means being operative to carry said attachededges of the flaps toward and from and to draw said flaps flatly overthe surface to be treated, and means to positively retain each flap ininoperative position above said surface until the forward edge thereofapproximately reaches the surface to be treated and the entire flapbeyond its attached edge is free throughout its upper and lowersurfaces, whereby each flap will be impelled under the influence ofgravity and centrifugal force to make a sudden impact flatwise over itsentire area upon the surface to b treated.

2. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces comprising a frame,an operating motor carried by said frame, a plurality of wiping flapsboth of their surfaces, said carrier being operative to carry theforward edges of the flaps in a circular path toward and from and todraw said flaps flatly over the surface to be treated in intermittentsuccession, a part providing a fixed surface concentric with and at theinner side of the path of travel of the forward edges of the flapspivoted on said rotary carrier, and means at the outer side of said pathof travel operative to press each flap in succession against said'fixedsurface, said last named means and said concentric part being located insaid frame to positively retain each successive flap in such positionuntil the forward edge thereof approximately reaches the surface to betreated and the entire flap beyond its pivotal mounting is freethroughout its upper and lower surfaces, whereby each flap will beimpelled under the influence of gravity and centrifugal force to make asudden impact flatwise over its entire area upon the surface to betreated.

3. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces as set forth in claim1, in which said mobile means is positively driven, and includingsupporting bars on which the wiping flaps are suspended at their forwardends for free swinging movements, said supporting bars being pivotallymounted at their ends in the side members of said mobile means andmovable thereby in an endless path.

LOUIS JOHN SIMON.

